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Patriots select Mac Jones after Bears steal Justin Fields with aggressive trade-up

By Thomas Carannante

MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA - JANUARY 11: Mac Jones #10 of the Alabama Crimson Tide celebrates following the CFP National Championship Presented by AT&T at Hard Rock Stadium on January 11, 2021 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA - JANUARY 11: Mac Jones #10 of the Alabama Crimson Tide celebrates following the CFP National Championship Presented by AT&T at Hard Rock Stadium on January 11, 2021 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images) /
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It was all unfolding perfectly for Bill Belichick … until it wasn’t.

The New England Patriots stood pat at pick No. 15 in the NFL Draft and it appeared as if Ohio State QB Justin Fields could fall to them after Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson and Trey Lance were taken with the first three selections on Thursday night.

The Panthers didn’t move from the No. 8 spot. The Broncos held at No. 9. Neither of them took a quarterback.

All it was going to take was an aggressive move from another team to leapfrog them and snag Fields.

And that’s exactly what happened.

The Bears moved up from No. 20 to No. 11, gave up a fifth-rounder, next year’s first-rounder, and next year’s fourth-rounder to swap with the Giants, and took him.

The Patriots selected Mac Jones after losing Justin Fields.

They also lost out on cornerback Jaycee Horn, who was taken by the Carolina Panthers at No. 8.

But the Patriots made the most of their pick, as usual. Yes, Fields have would have been the dream scenario after the rest of the league hypothetically shot themselves in the foot and let Belichick find his QB of the future with his feet in the air.

With the No. 15 overall pick, the Patriots got another one of their previously rumored targets … at quarterback. Yes, Mac Jones is coming to New England.

The 2021 National Champion is coming to Foxborough, where he’ll likely be holding a clipboard during his rookie season … depending on how Cam Newton performs on his one-year contract.

Jones has been critiqued throughout the entire pre-draft process, but there’s no denying what he can do with the proper protection and some weapons around him. He was the best quarterback in the nation this past year and led Alabama to an undefeated season.

He may not be incredibly mobile, but New England’s offense was built to support a statue of a QB for the last 20 years. And with all of the playmakers Belichick added in free agency (and potentially more in this draft), Jones will likely be in a favorable position to succeed alongside one of the best coaching staffs in the NFL.

It wasn’t exactly what the fans wanted, but it definitely fits what the team needs right now as well as the connections that were made between the Pats and Jones throughout the offseason.

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